Over on the Asimov's forum and his own blog, editor Rich Horton has announced his preliminary picks for his two best of the year books. They are as follows.
Selections for Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2009:
- Elizabeth Bear, "Shoggoths in Bloom" (Asimov's, March)
- Daryl Gregory, "Glass" (MIT Technology Review, November/December)
- Ted Kosmatka, "The Art of Alchemy" (F&SF, June)
- Margo Lanagan, "The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross" (Dreaming Again)
- Robert Reed, "Character Flu" (F&SF, June)
- Rivka Galchen, "The Region of Unlikeness" (The New Yorker, March 17)
- James Alan Gardner, "The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" (Asimov's, February)
- Will McIntosh, "The Fantasy Jumper" (Black Static, February)
- James L. Cambias, "Balancing Accounts" (F&SF, February)
- Charlie Anders, "Suicide Drive" (Helix #7, January)
- Peter Watts, "The Eyes of God" (The Solaris Book of New SF, Volume 2)
- Beth Bernobich, "The Golden Octopus" (Postscripts, Summer))
- Jeff VanderMeer, "Fixing Hanover" (Extraordinary Engines)
- Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, "Boojum" (Fast Ships, Black Sails)
- Paul Cornell, "Catherine Drewe" (Fast Forward 2)
- Mary Robinette Kowal, "Evil Robot Monkey (The Solaris Book of New SF, Volume 2)
- Ian McDonald, "The Tear" (Galactic Empires)
Selections for Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2009:
- Kij Johnson, "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" (Asimov's, July)
- Naomi Novik, "Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake" (Fast Ships, Black Sails)
- Eugene Mirabelli, "Falling Angel" (F&SF, December)
- Meghan McCarron, "The Magician's House" (Strange Horizons, July 14-21)
- Karen Heuler, "The Difficulties of Evolution" (Weird Tales, July/August)
- Jay Lake, "A Water Matter" (Tor.com)
- Liz Williams, "Spiderhorse" (Realms of Fantasy, August)
- Alex Jeffers, "Firooz and His Brother" (F&SF, May)
- Ann Leckie, "The God of Au" (Helix #8, Spring)
- James Maxey, "Silent as Dust" (Intergalactic Medicine Show #7, January)
- Erik Amundsen, "Blue Vervain Murder Ballad #2: Jack of Diamonds" (Not One of Us, October)
- Delia Sherman, "Gift from a Spring" (Realms of Fantasy, April)
- Christopher Golden, "The Hiss of Escaping Air" (PS Publishing)
- Peter S. Beagle, "King Pelles the Sure" (Strange Roads)
- Alice Sola Kim, "We Love Deena" (Strange Horizons, February 11)
- Jeffrey Ford, "Daltharee" (The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
- Patrick Rothfuss, "The Road to Levinshir" (Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy)
- Holly Phillips, "The Small Door" (Fantasy, May)
- Richard Bowes, "If Angels Fight" (F&SF, February)
